Event Title
The Occurrence of Girls' and Women's Sports Across Cultures: Testing Evolutionary Hypotheses
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Psychology
Mentor Information
Robert Deaner, deanerr@gvsu.edu
Department
Psychology
Location
Henry Hall Atrium 80
Start Date
13-4-2011 2:00 PM
End Date
13-4-2011 3:00 PM
Keywords
Culture, Gender, Social Class, Social Science
Abstract
Numerous cross-cultural studies of sports have been conducted, but none have focused on girls and women. Therefore, for 200 cultures in the eHRAF, we coded descriptions of females' activities as: (a) games of chance, strategy, or physical skill (i.e. sport), (b) played by teams or individuals, (c) and played against females and/or males, and (d) for sports, as being combative or non-combative. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) females will engage in team sports less often than males; (2) sports that reveal femininity will be more popular than combative sports; (3) and female sports will occur more frequently in cultures where women have greater control of resources or politics. We found support for all hypotheses, including a complete absence of female vs. female team sports. This research provides the first cross-cultural summary of female sports and brings our own culture's practices (i.e. widespread female vs. female team sports) into sharper relief.
The Occurrence of Girls' and Women's Sports Across Cultures: Testing Evolutionary Hypotheses
Henry Hall Atrium 80
Numerous cross-cultural studies of sports have been conducted, but none have focused on girls and women. Therefore, for 200 cultures in the eHRAF, we coded descriptions of females' activities as: (a) games of chance, strategy, or physical skill (i.e. sport), (b) played by teams or individuals, (c) and played against females and/or males, and (d) for sports, as being combative or non-combative. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) females will engage in team sports less often than males; (2) sports that reveal femininity will be more popular than combative sports; (3) and female sports will occur more frequently in cultures where women have greater control of resources or politics. We found support for all hypotheses, including a complete absence of female vs. female team sports. This research provides the first cross-cultural summary of female sports and brings our own culture's practices (i.e. widespread female vs. female team sports) into sharper relief.